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The Rector’s Palace is a historic monument in “one of the most impressive buildings in Dubrovnik”. The museum’s breathtaking environment is perfect for displaying the Republic of Ragusa’s artistic and historical heritage.

Diana Roman Goddess of the Hunt, Moon, and Nature

Since there are few tourists this time of year, I almost had the museum to myself. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen – inside and out! As usual the massive amount of information displayed seemed slightly overwhelming. I need a second visit to caption photographs of the paintings.

Entrance Rector’s Palace Old Town

Architecture

Originally constructed during the 12th century, the Palace was rebuilt twice. It was the seat of the Republic’s Rector and included an armory, watch house, and prison.

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The architecture represents Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles with details from Greek Mythology.

Capitals of the stone pillars around the Palace entrance exhibit flowers, animals, and Greek mythological motifs. Other than a fascination for Greece, it’s unknown why the artists carved Greek myths onto the pillars.

Stone Capitals Rector’s Palace Entrance – Travels and Treats

Rococo Bedroom Rector’s Palace – Dubrovnik Tourist Board

Layout

The museum has three levels. The ground floor includes archives, a courtyard, prison dungeon, courtrooms, ammunition stores, medieval church art, and a small chapel. The mezzanine has a collection of coins, seals, weights, and watches.

The rectors lived upstairs where there’s a permanent exhibition of beautiful paintings by Italian masters and a portrait of Croatian artist Mihailo Hamzić. Hamzić was a member of the Dubrovnik Painters School from the 16th century. Dubrovnik was a center for art in the Mediterranean, and the government invited foreign masters to move there to enhance their churches and monuments.

Mihailo Hamzić

Rector’s Palace

Interesting furniture displayed includes a writing desk by Italian Baroque painter and printmaker Luko Giordan. There are displays of everyday items dating between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Rector’s Rococo bedroom is on the south side.

Rector’s Palace at Dusk

Notable items include sedan chairs, carriages, magistrates’ robes and wigs, and a beautifully carved bookcase by prominent, respected resident Ivo Rudenjak. Some of the clocks displayed are “set at quarter to six, the time in the evening 1806 when Napoleon’s troops entered Dubrovnik”.

Rector’s Palace

Baroque Staircase and Miho Pracat

The baroque staircase in the courtyard was built after the 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake when “the entire city was almost destroyed and around 5,000 people killed”. A stone version of the Republic’s coat of arms is visible at the base of the staircase.

The center of the staircase features a statue of Miho Pracat, a Dubrovnik shipowner from the 16th century revered for his bravery and generosity. It’s the “only statute dedicated to a common citizen built during the Republic”.

Rector’s Palace

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After his death, Croatian shipowner Miho Pracat left all his wealth to charity.

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Miho Pracat – najboljeuhrvatskoj.info

During one of his voyages, Pracat broke a pirate siege. This brave act “caught the attention of Charles the Fifth” – ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Spanish Empire, and the former Duchy of Burgundy. This connection enabled Pracat to “bring back ships loaded with corn to hungry citizens. Allegedly he spent a portion of his wealth to free Christians captured by the Ottoman empire”.

About The Author

Thank you for visiting my travel blog. I created it to sustain personal memories and share my adventures as a solo traveler. Born with a fatal case of wanderlust, I love traveling! It satisfies my curiosity about foreign countries and cultures and is the excitement and passion in my life. Exploring the streets of Saigon and Istanbul, watching tango dancers in Buenos Aires, hiking Table Mountain in Cape Town and Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, getting lost in New Zealand's South Island wilderness, gorilla trekking in Uganda, watching Berlin's Festival of Lights, or viewing wild animals during an African game drive - I share these experiences and more in my travel blog! When on the road, I post frequently - not so much between trips. If you like the stories, follow me to get regular updates.